Interview with President Jeong Chang-hyun of the National Institute for Korean Medicine Development (NIKOM)

By Managing Editor Kevin Lee

"The National Institute for Korean Medicine Development (NIKOM) wants to contribute to the creation of a new Korean Wave culture and the development of the K-cultural industry by discovering, modernizing, and industrializing Korean Medicine." said President Jeong Chang-hyun of NIKOM.

President Jeong Chang-hyun of the National Institute for Korean Medicine Development (NIKOM)
President Jeong Chang-hyun of the National Institute for Korean Medicine Development (NIKOM)

In an exclusive interview with The Korea Post media, publisher of 3 English and 2 Korean-language news publications since 1985, President Jeong said, “We will spare no effort to help mankind redefine values for life and acquire a healthy way of life through the routinization and popularization of Korean Medicine.
“In this regard, NIKOM will make great efforts to spread the excellence of Korean Medicine not only in Southeast Asia but also around the world, following Hallyu culture such as K-Pop, K-Food, and K-Movie."
The following are excerpts from the interview with The Korea Post.

MoU signing Ceremony for education on Korean Medicine in the U.S. between University of Bridgeport and School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University
MoU signing Ceremony for education on Korean Medicine in the U.S. between University of Bridgeport and School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University

Question: What are the overall business details and future plans for the overseas expansion of the Korean Medicine industry?
Answer:
Korean Medicine has a systematic medical system and excellent manpower. Due to the Korean Wave craze, there is a positive image of Korean culture abroad, high reliability in Korean medical care, and potential for Korean-Western Medicine Collaboration and convergence products based on Korean Medicine. In addition, there is an active governement support related to Korean Medicine for overseas expansion.
NIKOM was established in 2016 as a public institution of the Ministry of Health and Welfare as an organization specializing in the promotion of the Korean Medicine industry, and is striving for the scientificization, standardization, and globalization of Korean Medicine.
In particular, NIKOM has been promoting the overseas expansion of Korean Medicine through the "Overseas Advancement Support Project of Korean Medicine" since 2020. In April 2021, it was designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare as an organization to support overseas expansion of Korean Medicine and attract foreign patients.
NIKOM is a "helper" who helps globalization and overseas expansion of Korean Medicine and is listening to the sounds of Korean Medicine-related companies and medical institutions. It supports medical systems that combine Korean Medicine doctors, products and hospitals, such as overseas licensing and registration of herbal preparation and opening of Korean Medicine department at local hospitals. It is also striving to expand items such as medical devices to enter foreign markets.

2021 Korean Medicine Conference to attract Japanese patients
2021 Korean Medicine Conference to attract Japanese patients

In preparation for post-COVID-19, NIKOM is planning specialized programs by country and patient characteristics, such as conducting a survey on local demand in Japan and China, which are interested in Korean Medicine.
In addition, NIKOM supports various medical programs to Korean Medicine institutions, such as developing treatment guidelines and matching coordinators to improve satisfaction with Korean medical services. Currently, there are 9 Korean Medicine institutions participating in specialized programs for Japan and 13 in China, and the participating institutions will be further expanded. It will also expand and support target countries, including Russia and Southeast Asia.
Since 2020, we have also supported the education and training programs on Korean Medicine for foreign medical students, medical personnel, and public officials. It is a program that discovers and supports the demand for overseas education and training from Korean Medicine-related institutions. College of Korean Medicine, the School of Korean Medicine, and the Society of Korean Medicine are participating in the program. 
The program was planned for local visits or domestic invitation training, but is being conducted online due to COVID-19. The number of trainees increased significantly from 345 in 18 countries in 2020 to 761 in 21 countries in 2021, indicating that the status of Korean Medicine is increasing overseas.
The list of 21 countries consists of five in America and Latin America (the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay), 10 Asian countries (Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, India, Japan, Indonesia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Uzbekistan), three European countries (Germany, France, Switzerland), and three other countries (Russia, UAE, Azerbaijan).
In addition, NIKOM is making promotional video clips for Korean Medicine easy and fun through various channels such as YouTube, SNS, and the website of the Korean Medicine promotion center to raise international awareness, and is taking the lead in developing the Korean Medicine industry and creating added value of national economy.

2019 Korean Medicine Training Program on Dec. 13, 2019.
2019 Korean Medicine Training Program on Dec. 13, 2019.

Q: What are the results and future strategies of attracting foreign patients with Korean Medicine?
A:
The performance of attracting foreign patients with Korean Medicine increased steadily from 2013 to 2019, but decreased 90.5% year-on-year in 2020 due to restrictions on international movement and contraction of medical tourism due to COVID-19.
Before COVID-19, medical institutions achieved quantitative growth in attracting foreign patients, but the Korean Medicine sector accounted for only 4-5% of the total. A "qualitative growth" business strategy is needed to respond to variables such as changes in the external environment and prolonged COVID-19 and to turn the crisis into an opportunity.
To this end, the Ministry of Health and Welfare's 2030 Global Korean Medicine Comprehensive Plan has been established after collecting opinions from the professions and experts of Korean Medicine in 2021. It is implementing a differentiated strategy that focuses on attracting patients from neighboring countries and supports advancement of the professions and experts of Korean Medicine into countries that are far away from Korea.

The 2021 Korean medicine conference to attract Japanese patients gets underway.
The 2021 Korean medicine conference to attract Japanese patients gets underway.

The strategy has been shifted from public relations-oriented support such as experiencing Korean Medicine and promotion of Korean Medicine institutions to fostering and supporting local customized Korean Medicine institutions for each country. 
As an achievement, a demand survey was conducted on locals from Japan (1st) and China (2nd), the top countries in attracting foreign patients of Korean Medicine, and five customized diseases were selected for each country. By supporting the operation of specialized programs of a total of 19 Korean Medicine institutions, we have made efforts to improve the quality of medical and non-medical services by transferring production and marketing know-how such as treatment guidelines and service manuals.
Attracting foreign patients and overseas medical expansion have advantages that are more than twice as effective in inducing employment compared to the automobile and mobile phone industries. Attracting 1,000 foreign patients has an equal economic inducement effect to an increase of 143 workers.
In order to revitalize and expand the attraction of foreign patients, we plan to establish and expand an ICT-based non-face-to-face remote pre- and post-management system in response to the digital transformation triggered by the 4th industrial revolution and the spread of COVID-19.

2019 Korean Medicine Policy Training Program on Dec. 16, 2019.
2019 Korean Medicine Policy Training Program on Dec. 16, 2019.

Q: Which foreign market should Korea target in particular?
A:
It is important to dominate the market in the U.S. and EU in advance because the U.S. and EU account for 70% of the world's Complementary and Alternative Medicine market and have a policy initiative. Long-term support is needed due to the high policy and institutional barriers, but if we succeed in entering the U.S. and EU markets, we can easily open the door to other countries with similar policies and systems.
In the past, strategic countries were selected mainly as health care partners, but in the future, we will increase efficiency by making a plan based on the needs of entrants, attractors, and users in each field and selecting the desired countries. 
As a result of conducting a survey on the demand for overseas expansion of Korean Medicine industries in 2020, the U.S. ranked first for herbal preparation and Korean medical devices companies, and Korean Medicine standard companies selected China as the top. NIKOM plans to efficiently and effectively promote the project by providing information, systems, and consulting for each country that they want to enter.

Q: Would you introduce about NIKOM's plan to spread “K-Medicine” Hallyu culture?
A:
Korean Medicine contains a variety of cultural contents in addition to medical and science technology. In modern society, culture is a symbol of national power, and the cultural industry is a promising high value-added industry. The culture of Korean Medicine is an important element of our traditional culture and is closely related to nature, life, value for humans, healthy lifestyles, as well as various fields of life such as art, music, and physical education. In a word, Korean Medicine can be said to be an endless "repository of wisdom" applicable to modern society.

President Jeong Chang-hyun of NIKOM (second from right) explains the details of the institute's major projects for 2022 to Managing Editor Kevin Lee of The Korea Post (right). Nam Hyo-ju, team leader of the global business team (left) and Lee Young-min, head of the public relations team of NIKOM, are also attending.
President Jeong Chang-hyun of NIKOM (second from right) explains the details of the institute's major projects for 2022 to Managing Editor Kevin Lee of The Korea Post (right). Nam Hyo-ju, team leader of the global business team (left) and Lee Young-min, head of the public relations team of NIKOM, are also attending.

Q: Do you have anything to say further?
A:
Korean Medicine is the future medicine. Traditional medicine is attracting attention as a new industrial field worldwide. The global traditional medicine market is expected to exceed $300 billion by 2030 and $500 billion by 2050.
Now, mankind is facing a crisis that has not been experienced in the past due to the increase in various chronic diseases and senile diseases due to aging, and the frequent emergence of new infectious diseases. 
The biggest issue in mankind is not how long it lives, but how it lives. The goal of mankind is not to live long with illness, but to live a long life without illness. As a result, the paradigm of global health is also changing from disease treatment to prevention. It is widely known that Korean Medicine is excellent in preventing disease as customized medicine.
Korean Medicine will be able to take the lead in the global traditional medicine market because it retains the essence of Korean Medicine and has the same system and expertise as Western Medicine. NIKOM was designated as a traditional medical cooperation center by the WHO headquarters last year. As we participate as an organization that conducts international health projects, we will play a bigger role in further expanding international exchange and cooperation and expanding the overseas expansion of Korean Medicine.

President Jeong Chang-hyun of NIKOM (center) poses for the camera with Managing Editor Kevin Lee of The Korea Post (right) and Nam Hyo-ju, team leader of the NIKOM global business team after holding an interview.
President Jeong Chang-hyun of NIKOM (center) poses for the camera with Managing Editor Kevin Lee of The Korea Post (right) and Nam Hyo-ju, team leader of the NIKOM global business team after holding an interview.

Profile of President Jeong Chang-hyun of NIKOM
Personal information.
Date of birth: Nov. 26, 1967
Birthplace: Boseong, Jeollanam-do.

Academic career
Graduated from Gwangdeok High School in Feb. 1986.
Attained baccalaureate degree from College of Korean Medicine of Kyung Hee University in Feb. 1992.
Attained master’s degree from College of Korean Medicine of Kyung Hee University in 1994.
Attained doctor’s degree from College of Korean Medicine of Kyung Hee University in 1997

Major experience
March 2002 to the present: Professor of College of Korean Medicine of Kyung Hee University
March 2019 to February 2021: Secretary-general of the Professors' Association of Kyung Hee University 
January 2017 to May 2021: Senior Vice Chairman of the Society of Korean Medical Classics (KMC) 
December 2009 to May 2021: Head of the Institute of Oriental Medical Classics
June 2015 to June 2019: Vice Chairman of the WFCMS Chinese Medicine Culture Committee 
February 2013 to February 2014: Visiting Professor of the UNC Carolina Asia Center 
From March 2011 to July 2012: Deputy head of Education of College of Korean Medicine of Kyung Hee University
From February 2007 to February 2010: Dean of College of Korean Medicine of Kyung Hee University


 

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